Can you imagine a Danish Protestant (1638-1686) and natural scientist becoming a German catholic bishop? It happened! Niels Stensen, in the then usual latinized form Nicolaus Steno was at his time a leading natural scientist, famous as physician, anatomist, crystallograph, mineralogist and geologist. He was the son of a goldsmith. His mother was the daughter of a famous family of protestant pastors. He started his studies in Copenhagen in medicine, mathematics and philosophy and became a polymath well known across Europe. (More)

Geschrieben in General Comment: (0). Trackbacks: (0). Permalink

In this essay I want to give another historical example about the theological background of Darwin's theory of evolution. It is hard to believe for the modern mind accustomed to Darwin's theory that naturalists and even physicians primarily looked upon nature as being imprinted by God's wisdom. Whereas one can easily understand this mind set in the case of physics as far as it explores the beauty of the cosmos, it is much more astonishing that this kind of looking through theological glasses unto nature was even common in medicine in general and anatomy in particular. (More)

Geschrieben in General Comments: (1). Trackbacks: (0). Permalink

This short essay is dedicated to one of the founding fathers of modern botany, the British botanist John Ray (1627-1705). He was a son of a blacksmith and his mother was a healer and herbalist. May be that this early acquaintance with nature made him a naturalist. Pursuing the exploration of nature with scientific methods he developed himself, he understood his science as a means to better understand God and to serve the church. (More)

Geschrieben in General Comments: (1). Trackbacks: (1). Permalink

It has often been noted, that Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution is at odds with Christian theology – culminating in the current “creation – evolution” debate, presupposing that creation and evolution are contradictions.

I will argue in a series of blogs that Darwin’s theory of evolution cannot be understood without the preceding Christian theology of creation, which in itself is part of a Christian strategy of missionary activity dating back as early as the time of the Scientific Revolution in the 17th century. Even a considerable number of the founding fathers of the Royal Society pursued their scientific activity because of theological reasons and thus to spread the gospel by scientific inquiry. The modern shallow alternative between knowledge and believe – which was created by 19th century materialism – was not at all present at the time when the Royal Society came into being. It was just the other way around: Scientific knowledge was regarded to support believe in the creator. (More)

Geschrieben in General Comments: (2). Trackbacks: (0). Permalink